The processes for preparing a brominated hydrocarbon by adding hydrogen bromide to an alkene compound or an alkyne compound are classified into two types. The first type is a process for introducing a bromine atom to a molecular terminal by a free radical reaction effected by using a free radical initiator such as a peroxide, ultraviolet light, molecular oxygen, a metal such as iron, cobalt or nickel, or .alpha.-halo-ketone. The second type is a process for introducing a bromine atom into the inside of a molecule by an ionic reaction effected by using an ionic reaction source such as an ionic phase transfer catalyst, for example, a quaternary ammonium salt, and a Lewis acid (Shin-Jikken Kagaku Koza New Lecture on Experimental Chemistry!, p418; and J. Org. Chem., vol. 45, No. 17, 3527-3529 (1980)) and silica gel (Kagaku to Kogyo (Chem. and Ind.) vol. 45, No. 4, 134 (1992).
The first type process generally has a problem in that a radical source has poor handling properties. The second type process generally has a problem in that an ionic source is troublesome to make and the production is costly.